


Guidance

by Joshwashingtonisbae (Ouchbird)



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen, Groundhog Day, M/M, Multi, No one will stay dead for long, Redemption, Time Loop, this will get happier i promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-19 20:16:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4759571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ouchbird/pseuds/Joshwashingtonisbae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I mistakenly orphaned my previous stories so I'm reposting. Sorry about the confusion.</p><p>Time has lost its meaning.<br/>Josh is trapped in a never ending nightmare. The only constants: His sister's a monster and they're all in danger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> The first two parts of this story were already posted but due to a mistake I can not update it. So I am reposting it here.  
> I promise this will get happier. Suggestions are always welcome.  
> I do not own Until Dawn.

_Everything you do, every decision you make from now on, will open doors to the future._

 

Something’s wrong.

He remembers lying on a cold stone floor in a dimly lit room.

He remembers hunger. Oh how he remembers that. It had chased away every thought, consumed every aspect of who he had been.

And then…

And then there was pain, almost enough to drive away the hunger. But just for a moment. His chest felt wet.

He remembers voices slowly coming closer, mutedly calling for someone, and he remembers trying to crawl away. When had he fallen?

The world fades.

Josh remembers dying.

____

**Day 1**

_Before we begin there are a few things I need to make sure you understand._

_You see, no one can change what happened last year._

_The past is beyond our control._

_You have to accept this in order to move forward._

_But there is freedom in this revelation. Everything you do, every decision you make from now on, will open doors to the future._

 

He’s standing at the base of the retreat. _When did he get here?_ Surrounded by bright white snow. H _e doesn't remember feeling snow when he fell._ He can see his breath hanging in the air each time he exhales. _He died didn't he?_  His skin feels clammy and stretched.  _No, that’s not right – he remembers feeling stretched. He remembers the feel of his cheek giving way as his teeth pushed outwards._

Josh doesn't remember falling asleep but there’s no other explanation. He’s standing at the base of the retreat, and Chris is walking towards him.

_Maybe this is a dream? One last good dream as his body breaks down._

Chris looks tired but he smiles when he spots Josh.

Why? He was so angry before. Josh wishes he’d stop.  _It hurts to look at that smile knowing he’d never see the genuine thing again._

“Man I feel like this mountain gets bigger every time I climb it.”

Odd, Josh could have sworn he’d heard that before.  _Was it in the dream?_

“Oh yeah? Feels the same to me.”  _More than you know_. He needs to focus, put the dream behind him. He’s got a prank to set in motion.


	2. Hannah?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at the start. He was dead so how did he get here, and was his dream truly a dream?

**Day 2**

_Everything you do, every decision you make from now on, will open doors to the future._

 

He’s standing at the base of the retreat, and the white snow is innocently blanketing the world around him. He’s standing at the base of the retreat and the snow is  _pure_. 

He can see Chris walking towards him.

 

This time yesterday, he'd stood in this exact spot and dreamt of losing his 'friends'.  _Had it been a dream?_

Now he remembers, and it had played out exactly as he'd imagined.  _Had Chris looked so tired last time? Had his smile been so small?_

He didn't want to remember. Had Chris died?. Josh doesn't know. First had been Jessica; cruel, irreverent Jessica who's prank had gotten his sisters killed!  _Had his prank gotten her killed?_  He wasn't sure who'd been next, maybe Matt or Emily.  _Lost on his little scavenger hunt._  He couldn't be sure about the others, Mike left him to die, but he hopes Sam and Chris made it.

 

Death had been different in reality. In his dream,  _nightmare_ , his sister had recognised him. She'd snatched him away, and he'd felt what was left of himself begin to fade. Chased away by an all consuming hunger.  _He didn't want to remember what he'd needed, what his every thought had turned towards._

He'd dreamt that Hannah had recognised him, but when she'd grasped at him all he could picture had been the ending of his dream.  _He'd been turning hadn't he?_   _Could it still be inside him? Waiting to tear its way out?_  Josh could still feel the remnants of his mania scrapping at his throat.  _It had been agonising._ Could it be worse for Hannah? Could any part of her have escaped its reach?  _The hunger wasn't real, it couldn't be._

 

In that moment Josh had existed between two realities:

He called to her, and she'd recognised him. She had! And she'd damned him for it.  _NO! He'd deserved it for failing to protect her._

He opened his mouth but no sound escaped. She was gone, nothing left but a monster wearing his sisters skin. A monster that had crushed his head against the rocks.  _He tries to avoid acknowledging the thought that he'd preferred dying as himself._

 

“Man I feel like this mountain gets bigger every time I climb it.” 

Was he really standing here? Had that entire night been one of his episodes? He didn't want to accept that his brain had chosen to turn Hannah, his sweet little sister, into a monster like that.  Grimacing Josh try's to recall the words he'd used all those hours ago.  _Had any time actually passed?_

"Weird, feels the same to me.”


	3. Realisation Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time is repeating. 
> 
>  
> 
> What's he supposed to do with that?

**Day 3**

_Everything you do, every decision you make from now on, will open doors to the future._

 ---

Why did it always reset to the lodge? There had to be some meaning to it. Why this place at this time? Now that he thought about it in films didn’t restarts usually start in the morning?

If this even was a restart and not some messed up scenario his mind had concocted. _Would he even be able to tell?_ The repeat had been so detailed, could he really imagine what it had been like to die? _To turn?_ He doubted it.

_If Josh had a choice he wouldn’t have picked for this night to restart. No, this night last year was the one he’d want._

\---

He’d watched Groundhog Day, _not one of his favourites but what aspiring director doesn’t know their films_ , could his repeats be like that? Josh knew he could change how things happened, his deaths had proved that. But how far could he take it. _Could he save his friends?_  

_Did he want to?_

_Shut UP. Of course he did._

How could this have happened?What deity, or whatever had caused this, would waste its time on him. What **cruel fuck** would give him the chance to save his _arsehole_ friends but condemn his sweet little sister to that monstrous existence.

It wasn’t fair. _She’d recognised him._

Could he find a way to save _her_?

\---

There was Chris, appearing just as expected; panting lightly and smiling faintly as he catches Josh’s gaze.

Time to mix things up a bit.

“Man you look tired. Bet the mountain feels like it gets bigger every time you climb it.”

A camera would be really useful right now, Josh didn’t think he’d seen Chris look this wrong footed since the spirit board debacle. _Did that count if it hadn’t happened yet?_

“Dude that was seriously creepy, I swear I was just gonna say the exact same thing.” _Surprise was a good look on Chris’s face, very expressive features._

“Well great minds think alike right?” he throws back with a cheeky smile. _He’d have never been able to smile with Chris again without the repeats._

Despite everything he’s surprised by how much that though hurts. Even if he hadn’t been lost, would Chris have ever spoken to him again? _Being left to die in the barn hadn’t exactly been the most encouraging sign._

\---

Sam. Lovely, considerate Sam.  How had he greeted her last time?  _What does it matter? Last time doesn't matter, she probably died._  He’d been more focused on greeting Chris. As his best friends he’d figured Chris would have been the most likely to notice something wasn’t quite right with him. _Stupid idea, Chris was probably already thinking about seeing Ashley._

He had to stop getting lost in this thoughts.

Sam had come for him. Twice now, she’d risked the mines to save him.  _She’d looked relieved to see him._

With a sudden surge of affection he’d not truly felt since waking to find both his sisters missing, _after he’s stated flushing his meds_ , Josh quickly pushed past Chris to envelop Sam in a tight hug. She was so soft.  _So strong_. He was surprise how relieved he felt when she quickly returned the hug.  _It’s not like she could remember what he’d done, or was that would do. Could she?_

“Uh guys, something you need to tell me?”

Josh guess’s he deserves for Chris to ruin his moment of peace. After all he’d worked hard to make sure Chris hadn’t had many of his own tonight.

\---

Matt’s angry. Had he been last time? Josh couldn’t recall. He’d been so wrapped up in getting everything set up for his prank.

_Could he even call it a prank, people died._

_He hadn’t meant for that to happen!_

_But it had._

What should he do about it this time? Last repeat he’d played it out exactly as he’d planned and _three_ people had died.

_Everything was set up._

There was real danger lurking in the woods.

_They deserved it._

Would it work if he kept them all inside?

_Wasn’t it worth a try?_

\---

_SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP._

\---

Keeping everyone inside wasn’t a bad idea. Whatever those things were, they probably wouldn’t attack the lodge. He’d lived there for years and never seen any.

Despite what _they_ were trying to tell him Josh knew the prank wasn’t safe. He couldn’t risk his friends again, not after performing it twice already to deadly results.

_Please, why can’t that be enough?_

He had to focus on keeping them alive. Like he hadn’t been able to with his sisters.

_Because they’re still gone. Hannah and Beth are gone and they’re never coming back._

\---

The door was still iced. Nothing he could do to prevent that. Guess Chris would have to take another stroll around in the dark.

Wait. If the plan was to keep everyone inside Josh didn’t need to relocate Emily’s bag. _What was in there that was so important?_ He could go with Chris.

_He’d died abandoned and alone in the dark._

It was safe, he knew that. Chris hadn’t had any problem opening the door last time. Plus it was another chance to see how much he could change.

_And, he’d be with Chris._

_Guess that settles it._

\---

Did Chris have to waste time flirting with Ashley?

The sooner they got inside, the sooner they’d be safe.

_Chris doesn’t know that, idiot._

Seeing the two of them together brought back painful memories for Josh of Chris’s panicked yelling as he chose to let the saw rip him apart. It may have been fake but it still stung to have their friendship placed second to Chris’s stupid little crush.

It’s what he’d planned for. _It wasn’t what he’d hoped for._


End file.
